NeW ZEAland
NeW ZEALANd
New Zealand is clearly one of my favorite countries in the world. In the land of kiwis, I felt at home right from the start. The nature is incredibly beautiful and the idyll invites you to dream. It looks like a painting, I often thought this when I was there.
Queenstown
The city of Queenstown is surrounded by a breathtaking nature. The place is popular all year round and has a lot to offer. In the cold months, many snowboard and ski fans are attracted. The famous areas “The Remarkables” and “Coronet Peak” are nearby. In summer, Queenstown is ideal for hiking and a cable car ride. I also enjoyed lying on the small pebble beach.
Hot Water Beach
At Hot Water Beach there is the opportunity to dig a hole in the sand and thus create your own little spa. Incredible, but true: Hot water comes up after just a few shovels! If you let it cool down a bit, you can spend a few hours relaxing in it. The beach section is a small natural phenomenon and is located directly on the Pacific coast.
Kaikoura
The dolphin swim in Kaikoura was simply incredible and an experience that I keep raving about. We got up in the middle of the night and set off. I’m not really an early bird, but that didn’t matter that day. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to see the dolphins. My heart was beating so fast under water in the sea, how beautiful these animals are! We saw hundreds of them, they were just all around us. The dolphins are so quick in the water and much bigger than I thought. They were incredibly playful and jumped into the air. Wow!
LORD OF THE RINGS
Even if I wasn’t a fan of Lord of the Rings before, the movie set made me one. The landscape around the set is incredibly beautiful and gave the impression that the world is still in order here. This idyll: green meadows, small hills, wide fields and a lot of sheep. The small houses of the hobbits just look magical. There was food on the table in the garden and laundry hung on the clothes line in the garden, I almost felt like I was in one of the films.
WILDLIFE
The wildlife on New Zealand’s beaches is incredible, we could see penguins, seals and sea lions. I have never been so fascinated by sea lions, I completely underestimated how fast they can be. Two males got into an fight right next to us and it was almost a little scary to watch. Everyone tried to get to safety as soon as possible.
ActivitIES
New Zealand invites you to many activities, bungee jumping, exploring firefly caves, rafting or hiking. I particularly liked sandboarding from a huge sand dune. When driving downhill, some speed can arise, which has given a bit of a thrill. In addition to the beautiful nature, many waterfalls, mountains and rainforests, there is also a lot of culture to discover in New Zealand. We met some of the country's indigenous people, the Maoris, and it was really interesting to learn more about New Zealand's history. I would definitely recommend a visit to Maori Village.
